WITH MORE than two dozen catwalk shows over the weekend, London’s fashion creativity was as fresh and feisty as ever with some outstanding winter collections from both established and up-and-coming young designers.
As if squaring up to the new realities there was a strong focus on the shoulders, expressed through wider shoulder lines, puffed or cap sleeves, capelets and picture frame collars. Skirts and tunics were predominantly A-line with surface shine in the use of crystal, sequins and metallic leathers.
Digitised floral prints were everywhere, the most playful and decorative being those at Basso Brooke, stylised abstracts of familiar Rococo and Baroque flourishes on sharp silk suits.
John Rocha isn’t one for prints, however, and the word austere came to mind watching his black Puritan dresses with their padded hips and oversize hairbands, but it was a shapely, hourglass silhouette emphasised by standaway tunics and baggy crops.
Giving a new glamour to a familiar fabric, he vamped up Donegal tweed jackets with black crystal, brought metallic glitter into black wools, decorated Linton check suits with shredded ruffles and added pale lambskin capes over hooped chiffon skirts.
Stiff red tent dresses added a dash of bright colour and gold brocade coats a note of opulence. The menswear was terrific too.
Milan-born Kinder Aggugini, a former head designer at Versace but London newcomer, wowed the fashion crowd at his debut show in a club on the 37th floor of the Paramount building with a collection notable for its combination of severe, military style tailoring and languid bohemian florals “blending Coco Chanel with Sid Vicious”.
That meant a tautly-cut red riding coat sliced at the rear with stepped pleats juxtaposed with an iridescent print skirt.
Also demonstrating exceptional cutting and fabrication skills, Scottish designer Graeme Back sent out a collection of couture quality, the palatial surroundings of Spencer House adding an extra gravitas to Back’s fine workmanship.
A former senior designer at Armani, Back’s high collared suits that shaded the face, slim China blue print dresses and Belle Epoque style cocoon coats were elegant and sexy in a refined way.
At the other end of the sartorial scale, Topshop’s jazzy Unique collection, inspired by new age travellers and intergalactic travel, will have the streets filled with sweatpants in multicoloured sequins, shaggy dresses with oversize cowl knits and clutches decorated with day glo Perspex.
If purple sequined pantaloons, killer heels and silver jumpsuits don’t add flash and colour to the mean streets this winter, nothing will.